FortyThree Days
by Ryokou
Summary: In which Gokudera plays baseball, Reborn explains a mission, and Yamamoto gets a clue.


**A/N: lD Surprise, guys. I still exist. And I've got some 8059 for you, to boot!  
God, I'm sorry. I've been so, so busy, and not writing much. Truthfully, this isn't even a recent story, I published it to an anthology a while ago, and I think it's time to put it on here, now. 3 Hopefully, I'll get back into my writing, I think my muse is coming back! Until then, enjoy~! **

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"So." Reborn began, shuffling through the papers on the full sized desk in front of him, which was no small feat at his size. "Gokudera, as you know, Tsuna has assigned you a mission in Sicily, to last between the Eighth of September, and the Twentieth of November. You will be observing the Cosa Nostra, and reporting back daily on their activities via sattelite video conference."

Reborn let out a deep sigh, looking over the table at the siver-haired teen. Briefing these kids on their missions was never fun. It was no secret that they could die. Every single one of them knew this, yet continued to risk their lives. Why? For each one of them, it was different. For Sawada Tsunayoshi, Vongolas' tenth generation boss, it was to protect those people he held dear. For his 'right hand man', Gokudera Hayato, it was to protect the boss, and prove himself worthy of a place in the mafia. Inititally, Reborn was hesitant to appoint the bomber to the position. It was crucial to the success of the family, and Gokudera wasn't exactly a patient, calculating person. Oh, it's true he was a genius, but a quick-tempered one at that. It wouldn't be a surprise if he rushed into a situation, not realizing the danger until he was waist-deep in it. In fact, it had happened. Multiple times.

The Italian boy nodded in agreement, remaining silent, waiting for the next portion of the Arcobaleno's speech. The second half usually consisted of safety requirements, (no matter how nonchalant Reborn seemed, he was pretty strict on those), and partner assignments. The partner assignments sometimes…weren't ideal, from Gokudera's point of view. Though really, the only person he wouldn't grumble about being sent with was Tsuna himself.

"For the week of November first, through the seventh, this mission will be at its most dangerous. You may be involved in close combat, and will require the backup of your partner. Thankfully, for the rest of the time you are there, your objectives will be much simpler, and require little to no stealth, or violence. Then, you will mainly be attending social gatherings, ecetera." The baby managed a small smile, noticing how compliant Gokudera was being. Maybe breaking this next thing to him wouldn't be too hard. "Your partner for this particular assignment will be Yamamoto Takeshi…." He trailed off, speaking carefully. The sun Arcobaleno knew he didn't have to speak carefully, or even respectfully to any of the guardians. But by now, he would admit that he'd grown to like them for all their quirks, and would even admit to respecting them, including the fiery-tempered bomber. "I'm sorry if this isn't an optimal assignment for you, Gokudera. However, Tsunayoshi and I have been talking and we came to the conclusion that this is for the best."

Gokudera blinked once, swallowing thickly. Great. Just great. An assignment with Yamamoto. The fucking baseball idiot. Of course, if Reborn and Tsuna wanted it, it would have to do…. He took a deep breath, nodding. "Fine with me, Reborn." He stated flatly, a tone creeping into his voice that indicated at the fact that it was indeed not okay.

"Again, I apologize…" Reborn offered, folding his small hands on the table in front of him. "The truth you'll have to accept, Gokudera, is that the rain and storm compliment each other so well, in battle." 'And off the battlefield as well…' Reborn considered, choosing not to voice these thoughts. Somehow, everyone could see the undeniable attraction- and tension- between the two. Everyone except, it seemed, Gokudera and Yamamoto themselves.

He took a deep breath, ready to explain anything-and everything he knew.

"Gokudera, will you listen to me, and really just listen? I'm not asking for full acceptance, but there is a reason I push you and Takeshi to work together."

Said boy narrowed his eyes slightly, and nodded, tentatively. He would listen to Reborn. If not because he wanted to know whatever godforsaken reason there was, because he had to listen. When Reborn, Tsuna, or anyone above him spoke, he listened, rapt with attention.

This didn't stop him from being a total ass to everyone else.

"I don't doubt that there are reasons, Reborn-san, he's just…infuriating to work with, to say the least."

The Arcobaleno nodded briefly in acknowledgement, shifting in his chair, mentally going over exactly what he'd say. "Well, by now, you know about Giotto, and his family." Reborn began, wording everything carefully, so carefully. "And you've met G, during his trial for you." he said. "You must have noticed some…similarities between yourself and him, correct?

Gokudera didn't even have to think, that was blatantly true. "Yes, some were obvious." he replied, unsure where this was going. "He smoked, and looked exactly like me…" he trailed off. 'But really, he was so much more. He could have been the right hand man I never could be…and Uri liked him more. What the hell? I feed her…' the Italian thought, going off on a mental rant. But that wasn't important now. "There were differences too though." he pointed out, working to keep his voice steady.

Reborn ignored the bombers' second statement, focusing on what he agreed with. "Yes, and his personality, when he was young, matched yours perfectly." Now, was the tricky stuff. "And Asari Ugetsu. He matched Yamamoto, the only difference being that he traded his music for the Vongola, instead of Takeshi's baseball."

Gokudera swallowed thickly and nodded. Of course he fucking noticed that Ugetsu was the same. That was… somewhat disconcerting, yet, comforting all at once.

"I could tell that." he said simply.

"Well, throughout history, the Vongola guardians have paired up, for efficiency and safety's sake. Lightening and mist, rain and storm, sun and cloud." Reborn couldn't help but smirk, thinking about this. "Now, this worked for nine generations. Then, our screwed-up one came along. And, well, as you can see, putting Lambo and Mukuro together wouldn't work. Seeing as that's true, we have to switch, putting Hibari-san, and Mukuro- or Chrome- together." the rest was left unspoken. 'And you and Yamamoto stay.'

"So, because G managed to put up with Ugetsu, we assume that Yamamoto and I could ever have the same dynamic?" Gokudera asked dryly. "I'm sorry Reborn, but in all honesty, that makes no sense. It was probably incredibly hard for G to stand being around Ugetsu, if what I can tell from their personalities is true."

"No. It wasn't." Reborn replied with a smirk. "They were together when they weren't fighting as well."

Gokudera stilled, a slight flush staining his cheeks. "And what exactly do you mean by that, Reborn?"

"It means they were lovers as well as partners in work." Reborn replied nonchalantly, studying Gokudera for a reaction. "And before you say anything, let me point out that G's outward reactions to Ugetsu were…quite startlingly like yours, Gokudera."

"T-that affects nothing, Reborn!" Gokudera exclaimed, mind racing. 'What? They were together? Why wasn't it obvious?' he thought on this, immediately realizing the reason. It was because they acted just like Yamamoto and himself…

"I'm just stating the facts, Gokudera. The point is, don't feel as if you have to hate Takeshi, because of some ages-old grudge. The truth is, there was none."

Forty-three days. Gokudera quickly, and of course, accurately calculated, on his way out of the office. I'm stuck with that fucking stupid, ignorant, attractive, charming bastard for forty-three days. Gokudera couldn't help but falter in mid-step, almost surprised by his own train of thought. But at the same time, he really wasn't surprised. He shook the thought off, keeping up his pace as he walked to find Yamamoto. Naturally, he was headed to Namimori high school's baseball diamond.

Tsuna and the guardians may have still been considered incredibly young, by the mafia standards, but at least now they were in high school, instead of middle. Regardless, it was sometimes hard to explain their ages to rival families, when they didn't know why they were picked so young either.

In addition, nobody had changed much. Hibari was as indifferent as ever, albeit with more power. He had managed to keep his status as head prefect, even coming into a new school. Mukuro rarely showed up, instead sending Chrome in his place. Lambo was still, as Gokudera put it, 'that stupid cow.' Ryohei still boxed constantly, and had not yet developed an 'inside voice.' Gokudera still followed Tsuna around, and Tsuna hadn't graduated from his 'loser' phase. Yamamoto had made the varsity baseball team.

The silver-haired boy stopped at the tall, chain-link fence that separated the baseball field from the rest of the schoolyard. "Hey! Baseball idiot!" he called, his gaze settling on a tall, uniform-clad figure on the field. He unhitched the gate, stepping out onto the diamond.

Yamamoto looked up immediately upon hearing the sound of his friend's voice.

"Hey! Gokudera! What're you doing here?" he asked, his smile brightening even more, if possible.

"Tch. Don't take it personally." Gokudera scoffed, averting his eyes from Yamamoto's face, his smile. It was sometimes just too much to take, and after that morning's conversation with Reborn, this was one of those times. He kneeled down to pick up a stray baseball, studying it for a moment, then tossing it to the rain guardian, who caught it deftly with one hand.

"Reborn just gave me my next mission, and I-…" he sighed, looking up. 'God help me….'

"We're going to Sicily." he announced, rolling his eyes. "You and I have been assigned a mission there. For forty-three fucking days."

Yamamoto looked up, holding the ball he had just caught in his hands, tossing it between both. Right. Gokudera wouldn't like that at all, no matter how much he did…

"Ah…well, we'll make it fun! Don't worry, 'Dera!" Yamamoto laughed, managing to make his voice light and happy, as usual, even though he felt horrible inside.

Gokudera, of course, couldn't think of any way it could be 'fun.' Well, he could. But if he even thought of that, he'd blush, and be a total mess. With that insight, he promptly blocked the images of 'fun' with Yamamoto from his mind.

"Whatever." he mumbled, a slight tinge of pink adorning his cheeks. "We leave tomorrow." he commented, offhand, as if it really didn't matter. "Why do you have to clean up after practice anyways?"

The baseball player smiled, wondering idly what had made Gokudera blush. Whatever it was, it sure was cute. He shifted his weight to the opposite foot, stretching his arms languidly above his head. "Tomorrow's kinda soon, don't you think?" he asked, eyes widening. But then, he realized foolishly, it wasn't Gokudera's decision when they went. If he had a choice, he wouldn't even go with Yamamoto….

"And it means it's over your birthday." he pointed out, inwardly wincing. Of course Gokudera knew that. And he knew by now that Gokudera wasn't one to celebrate birthdays, but still….

"Well, it's my job to clean after practice!" he replied with his signature laugh. "It's boring sometimes, but I am the youngest on the team, so it's fair!" he smiled. "I mean, it's a bit lonely, so I'm extra-glad you came."

Gokudera faltered a bit at the warm smile and those last words. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck… "Che. That's idiot logic." he said. "I'm not surprised only the other baseball idiots get it. And besides, that's not fair. Just because your younger, doesn't mean you should have to do it. If anything, it shows that you're the most talented one on the team." he grumbled, picking up the nearest aluminium bat and giving it an experimental swing, staggering a little bit, surprised by the momentum. "I-I know it's over my birthday, but who cares? That's not important."

'I care…' Yamamoto thought, looking back over at Gokudera, his eyes shining. "Good try, 'Dera." he laughed, stepping behind the smaller boy and taking hold of his wrists.

"W-what the fuck are you doing, Yamamoto?" Gokudera asked, attempting to growl, but finding it came out as more of a stutter. Oh, fuck. Oh, god. Yamamoto was so close to him- he was sure they'd never been this close. And now Gokudera was blushing, and felt this urge to push him away, but couldn't find it in himself to even do that.

"Teaching you to play baseball, of course!" Yamamoto laughed, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of the boy's hair. Oh. He felt this sweet ache inside him, the one that he only felt when he woke up in the mornings, vivid images of bright green eyes still fresh in his memory- and when he realized that the boy they belonged to would never be his.

"I don't need to learn to play fucking baseball!" Gokudera said, bristling.

Yamamoto faltered-this was true. Why _would _Gokudera need to play baseball?

But whatever. He had to take action someday, right?

"That's okay, Hayato, it'll help you relax!" he said with a bright smile. "Physical activity is good when you're stressed." he said wisely, holding Gokudera to him possibly a little tighter than was necessary.

Gokudera simply stood there, remaining frozen. That was one thing about the storm guardian. If he was surprised, or scared, he froze up. Apparently, this was one of those times. "Fine. Fucking...whatever. But after, you have to go get ready, I won't have you fucking up this mission for the both of us. And don't call me Hayato." He complained weakly. As was obvious, the bomber also covered up embarrassment or affection with anger, which probably said something in itself for how he felt about Yamamoto.

The rain guardian pushed himself just a bit closer to Gokudera, so he was about level with the boy's ear. "Now, you've got the grip right." he whispered, swallowing thickly. God, he wished he could be this close to Gokudera all the time.. 'See, you've got to hold it tightly, so it won't fly away when you swing." he explained, tightening his grip on Gokudera slightly. "But you've still got to be loose enough, to give it some freedom." he said, his voice catching a little. He swore he could feel Gokudera's heart beating.

And suddenly, it was all too much. His scent, his heart beating, and being able to hold him, make him tangible. The baseball player completely let go, swallowing thickly. He knew he was too close to Gokudera, and he knew that wasn't good. One touch could completely ruin their next forty-three days...as if it wasn't risky already. "I-I'm sorry, Gokudera." he said softly. "I..." and for once, Yamamoto Takeshi was scared. He was scared that, as much as the spitfire little bomber meant to him, he was nothing in the boy's eyes. Worse than nothing, trash. He had been struggling with these feelings way too long.

Now was time to make it or break it.

He turned around, stepping in front of Gokudera, the Italian boy that had both made this 'mafia' thing worth it, and made the whole thing shit. He knew, since Gokudera had first stepped foot in the classroom, that he wanted to know the boy better. Maybe it was his unusual looks that first got his attention, or the way he held a cigarette, his soft lips wrapping around it. Well, his lips sure as hell looked soft.

Why not find out?

"Gokudera, I know you act like you hate me, but that can't be it, can it?"

For the second, third, maybe fourth time that day, Gokudera froze. He didn't. Oh, god, he didn't. As much as he wanted to. "What's your p-point, Yamamoto?"

"I love you." Yamamoto stated simply, his heart immediately sinking. Shit. This was a bad, bad, bad idea.

The bomber's eyes widened. What? Yamamoto...was the straightest person he knew. He couldn't...he wouldn't... "W-what?" now, Gokudera's breathing was uneven, shaky. "I swear to fucking god, if this is your idea of a joke, Yamamoto, you're as good as dead." now, his fists were clenched, and his heart was beating at one-hundred miles a minute, it seemed.

"No." Yamamoto whispered in reply, a little pained. He knew how pathetic he must look. He was so much taller than Gokudera, so much more physically imposing. But he stood in the middle of this huge baseball field, a sad smile on his face, having just poured his heart out to the boy he wanted more than anything, had loved more than anything. And they had gone through so much together, time-travel, and more near-death experiences than he could count, just to start. "Trust me, if this was all a joke, it would be easier." he finished quietly. "I love you, Gokudera Hayato."

Wordlessly, Yamamoto took one step, clearing the already-tiny distance between the two. "G-Gokudera?" he asked tentatively, quietly.

"What?" Gokudera asked, eyes still wide, body still frozen rigid.

"Tell me one thing." he said, taking a deep breath. "Do you really hate me as much as you let on?" Yamamoto asked. He felt like he was shaking. He wouldn't be surprised if he was.

Gokudera swallowed thickly, closing his eyes. He was feeling a rush of emotions. All the things that he imagined he'd ever feel if Yamamoto said these words to him. He was thrilled, surprised, and scared, If he said no, he'd be lying. To himself, and the baseball player. It would break both of their hearts, more likely than not, and make this mission suck. So bad. On the other hand, if he said yes, it would make missions that much harder. He'd fear for the taller boy's life even more than he did. And he'd be letting someone in.

Letting someone else into his life, into his heart. He always swore to himself he wouldn't let that happen. He was too strong to fall in love. Then, he met Yamamoto Takeshi, and that all went to shit.

He opened his eyes, taking hold of the front of Yamamoto's shirt. He leaned in and stood on his tiptoes, trembling. He pressed his lips to Yamamoto's, so lightly, but didn't pull away. Maybe someone could see them. Like that mattered. After a moment, he pulled away, casting his glance downwards.

"If that doesn't answer your question, you're dumber than I thought." he replied softly, his face bright pink.

Yamamoto was certain his heart had stopped when Gokudera's lips touched his. In fact, he didn't think it had even started up again, as he looked down softly at the little silverette. "It does." he said, biting back a laugh. He couldn't help it, he was more relieved than he could ever possibly be. "It does." he repeated, reaching out and pulling Gokudera to him, wrapping his arms around him.

Gokudera moved his body just slightly, after all, if he didn't struggle, he'd seem weak. And he would NOT appear weak. Ever. "Fucking idiot." he whispered, burying his face in Yamamoto's shirt. "I never hated you." he explained. And this was true. Intimidated by, yes. Irritated, yes. Hate? Never.

"Well, that's good." Yamamoto said, the laughter and ecstasy still in his voice as he tilted Gokudera's chin up for another kiss. He only broke it after a minute, pulling away to say a few more words. "Because you're living with me for forty-three days." he finished cheekily, pulling an all-too-willing Gokudera back in to continue what they'd started.

That day, they both learned something interesting. For Yamamoto, it was that Gokudera's mouth surprisingly tasted more like cigarettes than coffee, and his lips were softer than he could ever have imagined. For Gokudera, he learned that maybe Asari Ugetsu and G were on to something good, and that maybe, just maybe this mission wouldn't be so bad.

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**A/N: Ffff...I'm not too proud of this, at second glance. I feel like I could do better.  
So, I'll be writing more, soon. 3 Count on it, okay? :D **


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